Would you skip barefoot over 20ft of hot coals to raise money for our local rape crisis centre?

CRCC has helped so many women in our region- maybe you or maybe someone you know has been listened to and believed. We need funds to increase our helpline opening hours and launch a new email support service.

If you would like to do a daring, fear conquering challenge and raise money for the centre at the same time this is one for you…

On the night of the firewalk, participants will undergo a two hour training session which will prepare them for the challenge of taking their first step onto embers burning at around 1200 degrees fahrenheit!

Dare you walk across burning coals?

To guarantee your place in this spectacular event, simply register by visiting www.everyclick.com/crccfirewalk. Registration is just £25 and we ask you to raise a minimum sponsorship of £125. Once you’ve registered we’ll send you a fundraising pack full of ideas and sponsorship forms to get you started – and you’ll get a t-shirt to wear on the night!

Million Women Rise is a march and rally which takes place anually in London (not to be confused with Billion Women Rise, which is a completely different thing). MWR was founded in 2007 by Sabrina Qureshi, a campaigner and former womens’ sector advocacy worker. The event’s organisers are grassroots campaigners, without corporate endorsements or ties to large charities or NGOs.

This year we have already seen the rape of millions of women throughout the world and we are only in February. We have heard the German authorities apologies to a teenage girl for sending her to a brothel to get work… The Gang Rape and murder of a 17 year old girl in South Africa and the protest from our sisters in South Africa… Many of you have been at the ongoing protests supporting the voices of women of India after the gang rape in India of a young woman who is now dead… We have witnessed the Irish government commit murder of a woman who was denied her human rights to an abortion…Women in Egypt have spoken out against state sponsored Violence Against Women…

And we will not ignore the ongoing rape and genocide of our sisters and children across the world from Easten Congo to Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Ivory Coast, Mali, Pakistan, Bangladesh, London, Bradford, Bolivia, Brazil, fromTamil women to Wales, East Europe, western Europe to the Americas to name a few.

Male violence against women is pandemic, it is organised and systematic, ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

This year’s event will take place on Saturday 9th March, meeting at 12pm Oxford Street (Outside Selfridges). Oxford Street and Regent Street will be closed as women march through the West End, ending with a rally at Trafalgar Square.

The one concern I have about this event is that the website makes no mention of whether trans women are welcome to take part, and the slogan “One Woman, One Body, One Song, One Love” sounds like it could exclude trans women. I hope that in future years the organisers will make it clear that all self-defining women are invited to come together for this important event, to rally against the misogynistic violence which hurts us all.

So Cambridge women are skilled and talented and generous and resourceful and generally wonderful. You hopefully already knew this, but as further evidence I present not one but two events coming up in the next few weeks showcasing their talents AND raising money for Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre (which is in itself a great organisation run by a pretty amazing group of women).

Held in The Fountain’s cosy and welcoming function room on the top floor 🙂 Doors open at 7.30pm and the entertainment starts at 8. There will also be a merchandise table with work from some of the performers, and the proceeds from this will be going to CRCC.
This extraordinary event boasts the talents of 8 incredible women doing the very simple thing of standing up and being heard – come along and show your support for a very worthwhile cause.

£4.50 on the door (student £3.50)”

And next week at the ADC Theatre, a production of The Vagina Monologues is being put on – “This episodic ensemble by Eve Ensler presents a series of testimonies, ‘Vagina Interviews’, conducted with women from all over the world back in the 90s. The women’s various perspectives provide a delicate blend of comedy and tragedy which will have you both rolling in your seats and moved by the stark reality of the violence women face every day.

This all-female empowering speak- out hopes to raise both money for Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre and awareness for V-Day, Stop Violence Against Women Day, founded by Eve Ensler herself.”

Both events are the culmination of lots of hard work, and I feel a possibly unjustified vicarious pride in the achievements of my Cambridge sisters.

Women have the right to live free from fear. Women have the right to walk free from fear. We want to claim this right. So join us on 28th January to demand an end to street harrassment and violence against women. We will be meeting at 8pm at the lamppost in the centre of Parker’s Piece and marching down Regent’s Street, through the market and ending up and King’s College Chapel where a candlelit vigil and a speaker event will happen.

The route is wheelchair accessible.The march from Parker’s piece is open to all self-defining women and children.

There will be a solidarity demo outside Great St. Mary’s from 8pm for allies.If anyone wants to come just for the vigil in King’s Chapel that is completely fine! It is open to everyone and will begin around 8.45pm.Please join us to demand safer streets!

Contact womens@cusu.cam.ac.uk or g.foreman@angliastudent.com with any questions.